I recently went from shopping at Gelson's in Orange County to shopping at El Super's in the Valley. The price difference in everything was shocking but the fruits and vegetables are unbelievably cheap.
Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
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Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
Of just click the "web" link below the title.
Would be nice if the Google link were on the front page instead of having to waste many seconds dealing with this bullshite (go to page, full text loads, split second later screen flashes and locks down, make it out to HN, look for Google link, almost flag post, wait for discussions to load, find Google/web link, wait,find correct link, reload same content, discover fluff).
"waste seconds"
Come on, really? I'm sort of hoping you're being ironic!? I mean - you're reading articles on HN about fruit and veg in Chinatown. On a Sunday. A few seconds isn't worth getting angsty about :-)
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#13Extraordinarily similar to an article in Lucky Peach, David Chang's (Momofuku) magazine.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#14Growing up, I remember Marina Foods in Cupertino being much fresher than the other grocers. > Chinatown’s green grocers, in contrast, buy their stock from a handful of small wholesalers operating from tiny warehouses right in the neighborhood Chipotle tried hyper-localised procurement and processing. That backfired, since heterogeneity in sourcing and processing means heterogeneity in quality control. How do these ma…
> How do these markets avoid food poisoning their customers? Are the meat makers, distributors and retailers wholly separate? Do farmers of Asian vegetables avoid fertilising with manure?
By not being a juicy target for a lawsuit. These are mom and pop shops that would just disappear into the ether if there was a big foodborne illness outbreak linked to their wares. They're also not selling prepared food--if you serve unsafe food that is because you did not prepare it correctly.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#15Growing up, I remember Marina Foods in Cupertino being much fresher than the other grocers. > Chinatown’s green grocers, in contrast, buy their stock from a handful of small wholesalers operating from tiny warehouses right in the neighborhood Chipotle tried hyper-localised procurement and processing. That backfired, since heterogeneity in sourcing and processing means heterogeneity in quality control. How do these ma…
Chipotle is itself a large chain. The incentives to avoid some bad food poisoning the market for one of your 2,000 stores are a little different from the incentives to avoid poisoning your only market.
Looked at another way, the fact that a Chinatown vendor's source would add heterogeneity to a national chain's supply chain doesn't mean the Chinatown guy uses heterogeneous sourcing. He is as localized as his source is.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#16This is the snob effect. People like the author believe produce is cheaper because of poor quality. Does Chinatown respond by lowering prices further because people won't buy poor quality produce?
If it weren't for prejudice then Chinatown groceries might price for more profit. The customers are missing out too. Marketing can fix this.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#17I think that one factor is that in the Chinese culture, you don't expect everything to be good and available during all seasons.
At a Whole Foods, you can reasonably be assured of asparagus in the winter time. In Chinatown, things are only available when they're in season, like a farmers' market.
Also, if you've ever ordered at a Chinese restaurant with a Chinese family, you'll see this phenomenon. Instead of ordering what you want, you'll consult with the waiter to see "what's good today".
For instance, the spinach might be not up to par, so he'll substitute some nice fresh bok choy. I've not seen that in a western restaurant.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#18The veggies in NYC's hispanic green markets are also really cheap. Same with the produce in the Korean markets, the Cambodian markets, etc.
While there might be something unique about the Chinese markets, I think in general stuff marketed to white people is just overpriced. Just look at how the cost of food at Smorgasburg compares with the cost of prepared food in Flushing, or at the price of housing between those two locations for that matter.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#19Here in Central NJ (Princeton area), fruit and veg are also notable cheaper in the Asian supermarkets. Which we fortunately have two.
Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown
#20Not trying to be stereotypical but perhaps it's just because Chinese people simply value price more than other people?
one only needs to walk through Chinatown to see how much things are cheaper there. It's not just fruit and veggies but things like a haircut, repairing watches, bakeries and even pharmacies.